Medicare Blog

what are the best states for medicare benefits

by Mr. Benedict Koelpin I Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Best States for Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare Part D Plans

State Average Monthly Medicare Advantage Premi ... Average In-Network Out-of-Pocket Spendin ... Average MA-PD Drug Deductible Percent of Plans Rated 4 Stars or Higher
Alabama $64.27 $5,272.78 $256.83 58.6%
Alaska N/A N/A N/A N/A
Arizona $47.15 $5,244.79 $321.62 56.2%
Arkansas $44.34 $5,852.87 $322.18 24.6%
Apr 18 2022

Full Answer

Which state has the best Medicare plans?

51 rows · Oct 28, 2021 · Average Medicare Supplement Premium Best: New Mexico Worst: Connecticut; Nursing/Assisted Living ...

What is the cheapest state to buy Medicare?

The Best and Worst U.S. State 529 College Plans. Oct 22, 2014. 10 Best and Worst Cities for Saving Money. Feb 25, 2015. The 10 Best and 10 Worst States for …

Are Medicare benefits the same in every state?

Nov 14, 2018 · Come to Nevada for the roulette tables. Stay for the affordable retiree health insurance. That’s because the Silver State is home to the lowest Medicare Advantage costs for the 2019 plan year,...

What is the best state for Medicaid?

In many instances, the benefits can even differ from one region to another. Likewise, for those who choose to receive their Medicare coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan (Medicare Part C), both the cost and availability of plans can vary from one state to another, as well as by the private health insurance company that offers them.

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What state has best healthcare for seniors?

MinnesotaIn this ArticleOverall RankStateQuality1Minnesota22.312North Dakota21.843Massachusetts27.254California23.6147 more rows

What's the best state for Medicare?

Hawaii is the top state for health care. It's followed by Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and California to round out the top five. Learn more about the Best States for health care below.

Are Medicare benefits the same in every state?

Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B together are known as “original Medicare.” Original Medicare has a set standard for costs and coverage nationwide. That means your coverage will be the same no matter what state you live in, and you can use it in any state you visit.

Is my Medicare good in all 50 states?

If you have Original Medicare, you have coverage anywhere in the U.S. and its territories. This includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Most doctors and hospitals take Original Medicare.

What state is number one in healthcare?

States with Best Health Care SystemsOverall RankStateTotal Score1Massachusetts67.732Rhode Island67.083Minnesota66.394Hawaii64.9047 more rows•Aug 2, 2021

Where is the US ranked in healthcare quality?

last overallThe U.S. ranks last overall on the health care outcomes domain (Exhibit 1). On nine of the 10 component measures, U.S. performance is lowest among the countries (Appendix 8), including having the highest infant mortality rate (5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births) and lowest life expectancy at age 60 (23.1 years).Aug 4, 2021

What state has the cheapest Medicare supplement plans?

Meanwhile, the cheapest state in the Union for Medigap plans is sun-soaked Hawaii, where policies are only $1,310 annually — $109.16 on a monthly basis.Jul 31, 2018

Is Medicare free in Florida?

How Much Does Medicare Cost in Florida? The cost of Original Medicare in Florida will be the same as the rest of the nation. With qualifying work history, most people are eligible for premium-free Part A coverage. Part B premiums for most people are $148.50 in 2021, but those with higher incomes will pay more.Sep 25, 2021

Why do doctors not like Medicare Advantage plans?

If they don't say under budget, they end up losing money. Meaning, you may not receive the full extent of care. Thus, many doctors will likely tell you they do not like Medicare Advantage plans because the private insurance companies make it difficult for them to get paid for the services they provide.

Can you have Medicare in two states?

Can You Have Medicare and Dual Residency? You can have Medicare while living in two states, but you'll choose one location as your primary residence. There will be some Medicare plans that benefit you more than others when you have multiple homes. Some retired people choose to reside in two different locations.Sep 16, 2021

What states are guaranteed issue for Medicare supplement?

Only four states (CT, MA, ME, NY) require either continuous or annual guaranteed issue protections for Medigap for all beneficiaries in traditional Medicare ages 65 and older, regardless of medical history (Figure 1).Jul 11, 2018

Why does zip code affect Medicare?

Because Medicare Advantage networks of care are dependent upon the private insurer supplying each individual plan, the availability of Medicare Advantage Plans will vary according to region. This is where your zip code matters in terms of Medicare eligibility.

How much does Medicare cover?

Furthermore, Medicare covers 80% for most Part B services, and you are responsible for the remaining 20%. You also have copayments for some Part A benefits. To manage out-of-pocket costs, about 90% of Medicare consumers have a Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage plan.

How many people will be on Medicare in 2020?

Medicare plays a central part in healthcare for adults over 65 (nearly 63 million enrolled in 2020). Yet they don’t all experience the same quality of care. Where you live matters. MedicareGuide looked at multiple factors such as prescription drug prices, doctors per capita and life expectancy to determine which states offered the best (and worst) ...

What are the attributes of a health plan?

Some of the key attributes for a health plan are: network quality, breadth of drug coverage, reasonable out-of-pocket costs, comprehensive benefits design, and an affordable annual cap on out-of-pocket costs.

What are the benefits of the ACA?

All ACA plans provide the 10 essential health benefits, including behavioral counseling and maternity care and childbirth. None have annual or lifetime dollar limits on how much the plan must pay for your care.

What is coverage in health insurance?

Coverage refers to what is covered, or benefits, as well as how much is covered. Ideally, we want 100% coverage but, realistically, that plan would probably have a high premium.

How many baby boomers celebrate their 65th birthday?

Senior Americans are constantly hunting for affordable, quality healthcare, and more U.S. adults are graying all the time. Each day, 10,000 Baby Boomers celebrate their 65th birthday. That number will double in a few decades, leading to 20% of the U.S. population having surpassed that milestone by 2050.

Does Medicare pay for all doctors?

Original Medicare will continue to provide access at low cost to roughly 90% of all doctors, 75% of all specialists and virtually all 5,000 hospitals. Medicare will continue to pay 80% of the bills, and the overwhelming majority of members will continue buying supplemental Medigap insurance to cover the remaining 20%.

Methodology

We looked at data from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to aggregate costs by procedure and health care provider. We averaged all procedure costs by state, comparing the average total cost to the average amount that Medicare pays. Then we ranked each state by the resulting percentage.

Correlations and key findings

Medicare aims to cover around 80% of eligible medical costs, 1 so we were impressed that residents in most states received a higher percentage of coverage.

Conclusion

While health care costs in the US continue to rise, most Medicare beneficiaries can expect Medicare to shoulder 80–90% of the burden. But depending on the procedure, your bill could still be in the thousands.

Ask the Experts

As Americans anticipate changes to their health care in both the short and long terms, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

Methodology

In order to determine the best and worst states for health care, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: 1) Cost, 2) Access and 3) Outcomes.

What is Medicare Advantage Part C?

Medicare Advantage or Part C, is a private plan that provides Part A and Part B benefits, and often prescription drug coverage as well.

Which state has the lowest Medicare Advantage cost?

Come to Nevada for the roulette tables. Stay for the affordable retiree health insurance. That’s because the Silver State is home to the lowest Medicare Advantage costs for the 2019 plan year, according to an analysis by HealthMarkets Insurance Agency.

When is open enrollment for Medicare Advantage?

See below for the top 10 states with the lowest Medicare Advantage annual costs, according to HealthMarkets. During open enrollment season — Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 — enrollees can swap from Medicare Advantage to original Medicare.

What are the different parts of Medicare?

There are four main “parts” to Medicare. These include Part A and B – which form Original Medicare. There is also Part C, known as Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D, which offers prescription drug coverage. Original Medicare is provided by the government to those who are age 65 and over, and who have worked in Medicare-covered employment ...

How long do you have to work to get Medicare?

Original Medicare is provided by the government to those who are age 65 and over, and who have worked in Medicare-covered employment for at least 10 years. Some individuals who are under the age of 65 may also qualify for Medicare benefits, provided that they have received Social Security disability benefits for at least 24 consecutive months.

Can you fill gaps in Medicare?

Those who are enrolled in Original Medicare, may choose to fill in some of the coverage “gaps” with a Medicare Supplement insurance plan . These policies, oftentimes referred to as “Medigap” insurance, can provide coverage for some or all of Medicare’s deductibles, co-insurance, and / or co-payments that are required by enrollees ...

Does Medicare Part D cover prescription drugs?

However, for those who opt to also include Medicare Part D for prescription drug coverage, benefits can vary from one plan to another, as well as from state to state. In many instances, the benefits can even differ from one region to another.

How many people will be on medicaid in 2020?

Having reliable and affordable healthcare is more important now than ever as the U.S. faces the COVID-19 pandemic, and as of September 2020, over 70 million individuals were enrolled in Medicaid. President Joe Biden is also looking to expand the program, and is moving to get rid of requirements for people to work in order to receive coverage, ...

Is Medicaid a government program?

Medicaid is one of the most well-known examples of government assistance in the U.S., with a large chunk of the population enrolled . As the government considers how much to expand or limit Medicaid coverage, we turned to a panel of experts for additional insight.

Methods

We started with 2020 county-by-county Medicare Advantage plan cost data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Context

State-to-state differences in the ratio of typical Medicare Advantage premiums to workers’ share of the group health premiums could reflect many factors, including:

Resources

Medicare Advantage plan premium data tables for 2020 are available here.

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2022 National Average Medicare Premiums, Deductibles and Quality

  • MAPD plans and Prescription Drug Plans are both reasonably affordable in 2022. 1. The average 2022 MAPD premium is $62.66 per month, though many areas may offer plans that feature $0 monthly premiums. The average deductible for the drug coverage offered by MAPD plans is $29…
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Best States For Medicare: 2022 Average Medicare Costs by State

  • Factors in Medicare Advantage Premiums
    The national average cost of a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan in 2022 is $62.66 per month. But as you can see from the table above, the cost of an MA-PD plan can vary quite dramatically by location. 1. In Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island and the Dakotas, average …
  • Medicare Advantage Plan Quality by State
    Every year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rates all Medicare Advantage plans according to a five-star scale based on various quality metrics. Three stars represents a plan of average quality, while four stars is considered above average and five stars is excellent. The met…
See more on medicareadvantage.com

Expert Analysis

  • As of October 15, millions of American seniors have the opportunity to purchase a private Medicare insurance plan for the first time or switch to a new coverage option during the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). This period, also called the fall Medicare Open Enrollment period, lasts until December 7. We asked a panel of experts for their insight on what Medicare beneficia…
See more on medicareadvantage.com

Methodology

  • This project used data provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The 2022 MA Landscape Source Files and 2022 PDP Landscape Source Fileswere used for analysis.
See more on medicareadvantage.com

Fair Use Statement

  • Of course we would love for you to share our work with others. We just ask that if you do, please grant us the proper citation with a link to this study so that we may be given credit for our efforts.
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Research and Reports

  • Our research reports analyze a number of issues important to seniors, from health perceptions, medical communication, health habits, and more. 1Every year, Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system.
See more on medicareadvantage.com

States with Best Health Care Systems

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Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.
See more on wallethub.com

Ask The Experts

  • As Americans anticipate changes to their health care in both the short and long terms, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions: 1. What tips do you have for a person looking to find the right balance between the cost of premium and level of coverage? 2. What are the most important steps Americans can take to minimize health-related …
See more on wallethub.com

Methodology

  • In order to determine the best and worst states for health care, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: 1) Cost, 2) Access and 3) Outcomes. We evaluated those dimensions using 44 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 repres…
See more on wallethub.com

Supporting Video Files

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